Cities Are Where The Most Inspiring And Innovative Experiments Are To Fight Climate Change

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 05: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (C) poses for a picture with mayors from U.S., Mexico and Canada during the North American Climate Summit on December 5, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo who is Chair of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and a board member of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy ( R) and Christiana Figueres of the Global Covenant of Mayors stand next to Emanuel. The summit was held to bring together leaders from the U.S., Canada and Mexico to commit thier cities to addressing climate change at the local level. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Today, when so much attention is focused on the actions of national governments in this era of Trump, Merkel and Putin, we have another reminder that there are other crucial actors in this drama—cities.

At a ceremony in Chicago, 10 cities from around the world, from Copenhagen to Washington, DC, are being honored for their innovative efforts to fight climate change. I was privileged to serve as a judge for the awards.

Why is this so important? Consider that urban areas are now home to three-quarters of the people in developed countries, and more than half around the world. And when it comes to the issues that directly affect our everyday lives—such as transportation, jobs, housing, and parks—mayors and city councils usually have far more impact than the federal governments do.

It’s good news, then, that hundreds of cities around the world, from Austin to Auckland, from Montreal to Mumbai, have been stepping up to the plate to address these issues and improve the lives of their citizens. If U.S. states are the “laboratories” of democracy, as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously wrote, cities around the world are where the most inspiring and innovative experiments are taking place.

Nowhere is this more true than in the area of climate change. Because cities are responsible for 70% of the carbon dioxide emissions that are warming the planet, they must lead in reducing those emissions—and they are. For me, one of the most heartwarming stories of the year was when more than 380 U.S. cities immediately responded to the Trump administration’s decision to pull out the Paris Agreement by vowing to do their part to meet the targets in the landmark 2015 climate accord.

Around the world, 92 megacities -- which together represent 25% of global GDP -- are now members of a network called C40 dedicated to fighting climate change. These cities already have taken more than 10,000 individual actions, such as removing 70,000 cars a day from the roads in London’s central business district, adding bus rapid transit in Johannesburg and Mexico City, and dramatically boosting solar power in Austin, Texas.

Equally important, cities are racing to protect their residents—and their economies—from the growing impacts of climate change. Miami is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on pumps and elevated streets to cope with rising seas. Chicago has installed ‘green roofs’ to tamp down temperatures during searing heat waves. And scores of cities have upgraded their stormwater systems to cope with more extreme flooding events.

The latest concrete proof that cities are innovating comes from today’s C40 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards, given to the “10 Best Cities For Climate Action.”